Trick Question
by OmenProphecy
Summary: Luna Lovegood was left behind. The Boy-Who-Lived was dead. So were the rest of her friends. Hermione left Luna a Plan B, a chance to fix the mess that Voldemort had left behind. What choice did Luna have but to take it? Twenty-one years in the past, Luna learns things that she'd never been told, and becomes a different person than the one her friends once knew and loved.
1. Chapter I

**Hiya, folks! I recently searched for a fan fiction where Luna Lovegood gets sent back in time, ****_alone,_**** to the Marauder Era, but I didn't find one. I know I'll probably mess this up pretty badly, seeing as I've never worked with Luna at all before, so she will quite possibly be very OoC. I do feel that this needs to be out there, so... bear with me, please. I will need a LOT of help from you guys. I welcome any kind of criticism. I just need to get this done. I will be looking forward to hearing what you guys think. Thank you for taking a chance and clicking on this story. I can't promise I won't let you down, but I ****_will _****do my absolute best to make this work.**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

_**I**_

Luna Lovegood always knew what time it was. It was eight-oh-three when Minerva McGonagall summoned her to the office that was once Albus Dumbledore's.

Luna, along with the rest of the castle, was drowning in her sorrow. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Hermione Granger were dead. Dean Thomas was far away by now, Luna hoped. Luna hoped very much that the remainder of her friends were long gone.

The gargoyles that used to stand proudly in front of the Headmaster's office were lying on their sides now. No one had bothered to mend the faithful sentinels. Luna stood them up on their pedestals once more, but saw immediately that there was no use. The magic was gone.

Sniffling, Luna trudged up the staircase, and stepped through the doors without knocking. Minerva smiled weakly at the eccentric teenager. Luna fought to be as light and airy as she'd always been. It had never been a struggle before.

"Ms. Lovegood," Minerva began. Luna said nothing, did nothing, just stared blankly at the air behind the older woman. "I'm afraid that- that there was one thing that Ms. Granger left you. You may not know what it is-" she cut herself off, reaching into a drawer in the desk. A Time-Turner lay rather innocently in Minerva's palm.

The younger woman choked back all of the words she'd wanted to say to Hermione. She'd always known that Hermione had never given up her Time-Turner. She was too smart to do that. Hermione had known all along that it would get bad, and she made sure there was a Plan B.

Hermione had known Luna would survive.

Luna reached out and took the fragile-looking thing. It was a feather in Luna's hand.

The tears almost escaped, then. "Thank you," she said instead.

"It's your choice. Your- your decision, if you want to fix this mess," Minerva said quietly, haltingly. The strong witch was crying. "I pray that everything turns out all right."

Luna comforted her once-professor. They both knew the choice Luna would make. They both knew not to say good-bye.

Minerva did anyway. "Goodluck, Luna. Good-bye-" she stopped.

Luna didn't smile, she just nodded, and did the calculations in her head. "192720 turns," she said out loud.

The Headmistress coughed. "Hermione left a note with it," she revealed. Out of the drawer she pulled a bit of parchment. Luna took it and read the message on it silently.

_Luna,_

_As you have doubtless already guessed, this Time-Turner was our world's last resort. I'm so sorry for this, Luna._

_I have altered the Time-Turner. There would be a fantastically large amount of turns to get where you need to be, but now there are only 21 and a half turns necessary._

_I'm so very, very sorry. You are a very dear friend of mine, Luna. I wish you luck and send you love._

_-Hermione Granger_

Luna would _not _cry.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

_Four._

_Five. _Luna began to feel light-headed.

_Six._

_Seven._

_Eight. _Her muscles were tensed painfully.

_Nine._

_Ten._

_Eleven._

_Twelve. _Forget light-headed; Luna had a full on migraine.

_Thirteen. _She hissed as fire erupted inside of her.

_Fourteen._

_Fifteen._

_Sixteen._

_Seventeen. _Luna couldn't see anymore.

_Eighteen._

_Nineteen._

_Twenty._

_Twenty-one. _Her nose began to bleed.

Luna did the last-half turn before her senses returned in full, and a scream was ripped out of her as she felt as if she were being turned inside-out.

Minerva and the office disappeared.

***~xXx~***

Luna wasn't sure what to expect. There was mist and light and darkness all around her. It seemed like she was falling for a long time, forever, maybe.

There was no pain when she hit the ground. She stayed where she was.

She laid there for almost as long as she fell. Luna was found at seven-forty-eight in the morning, by a red-headed second year that Luna recognized as Bill Weasley.

"Good morning," she said quite pleasantly, which was quite the accomplishment, as she'd never felt this horrid since she'd been Crucioed.

William shifted from foot to foot. "Do you need help?" he asked.

Luna smiled. _There it is! _"Yes, I believe I do. Would you mind helping me up?" Her mind was already racing, doing the math. _So I'm in 1975. I wonder if I'll meet Daddy? Of course, not here. He's long gone by now._

The pair hobbled down the familiar path to the Headmaster's office.

"What's your name? I'm Bill," the boy supporting Luna said.

"Luna." _Just Luna. Always Luna._

"That's a pretty name."

"Thank you, Bill."

"You're welcome," Bill said, his ears getting redder. Luna noticed, but was too tired to say anything. Today was the last straw.

It was a bit more difficult to go up the stairs, but they managed. Bill raised his hand to knock, but Luna just breezed in. Well, as well as she could when she felt like she'd been trampled and roasted by a dragon.

"Wotcher, Dumbledore," Luna said. Bill was looking at her like she was crazy. Almost reminded her of her first few years at Hogwarts.

Albus smiled politely and extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss..."

He was obviously expecting her name, but Luna was busy examining the room. The same silver instruments were there, scattered around the room. There were two fewer portraits on the wall. The man's desk was cluttered and messy.

"I believe you need a maid," Luna observed.

Albus laughed. "I believe you are correct." That same smile Luna remembered was still there. It made her heart ache.

Bill stood there awkwardly. Why was this Luna girl acting like she and Professor Dumbledore were old friends?

Luna swiped her hand discreetly over her damp forehead. "Is there any chance I could attend school this year? I'm in my sev- sixth year, now." She'd forgotten that she'd gone back to the middle of the year. She hadn't finished sixth year yet.

_If anyone asks, I'm Luna... Selwyn. Luna Selwyn. Pureblood, and I suppose Slytherin will be necessary. If Harry could see me now... Be sarcastic about origins. It usually works._

***~xXx~***

Luna felt much better after a good night's sleep. She was still sore, sure, but it was bearable. Humming a tune under her breath, she slipped on the normal Hogwarts uniform. As much as she wanted to put on something or other to remind herself of who she was before, she had to admit, grudgingly, that her purpose this time around wasn't to stand out. She had to get connections and fix things, and quickly. Luna slipped her radish earrings in her pocket, if only to remind herself who Luna Lovegood was.

_Oh, that's right. _

That day she was to be Sorted. She had fallen asleep on a bed in the Room of Requirement. _I'll have to see if I can stay here permanently._

Once in Albus's office, she slipped the Hat on without any hesitation, and greeted it like a friend.

'Hello, Mr. Hat. How are you? I need a favor, and I'm sure you'll agree with me.'

_Hello, Ms._ Lovegood._ I am well. Yes, Slytherin would do nicely for you, in a pinch. No need to discuss this further. _

'Thank you. I appreciate it. Good-bye.'

"SLYTHERIN!"

Albus seemed just a bit surprised, a little betrayed, even, but Luna couldn't have cared less.

"I'll be off now, I suppose, Albus." Luna spun on her heel and headed for the door. Albus let her go, not even reprimanding her for her use of his first name.

***~xXx~***

Minerva McGonagall looked up to see a girl with pale hair, eyes, and skin standing in the doorway. Luna waved and said, "Hello, Minerva. It's good to see you. I trust you have my schedule?"

The slightly confused Deputy Headmistress reached into a drawer and pulled out the parchment.

_Deja vu._

"Here, Miss-" Minerva looked at the top of the parchment. "-Selwyn."

Luna took the schedule with a smile. Before Minerva could say anything more, the girl was gone.

***~xXx~***

Luna was in the Slytherin common room, looking around. She could see the Black Lake through the windows, and the gentle swish of water against the outside of the dungeon was relaxing. A merperson could be see swimming in a tight circle some distance away. There were greenish lamps all around the room, and there were armchairs settled seemingly randomly.

Other Slytherins were coming now. It was time to go.

She didn't need a guide, which was convenient, since no one offered. Luna was among the first to arrive at the Great Hall. She almost sat at the Ravenclaw table, but remembered in time that she no longer belonged to that House. That was perhaps when the depth of her situation truly struck her. Luna did not cry, she hadn't cried at all, but she wished she could.

Many students did double-takes when they saw the unfamiliar Slytherin. Luna ate calmly, then consulted her schedule to find her first class, Transfiguration. She left the green and silver table without a word.

Transfiguration was just as Luna remembered. They were attempting to Transfigure a hat into a mouse. Luna had already mastered it, so she did the spell quickly and used the remainder of the class to regret not planning this out. She rarely jumped into anything unprepared, but here she was, twenty-one years in the past with no idea what to do.

So she did what she always did when in doubt: she made a list.

_Severus Snape*_

_Regulus Black*_

_Peter Pettigrew_

_Antonin Dolohov*_

_Bellatrix Black*_

_Narcissa Black*_

_Lucius Malfoy*_

_Augustus Rookwood*_

_Alecto Carrow*_

_Amycus Carrow*_

_Barty Crouch Jr. ?_

_Rabastan Lestrange*_

_Rodolphus Lestrange*_

_Walden Macnair*_

Luna couldn't recall any other Death Eaters. She was sure many of them died before she was even born, but Luna was trying to avoid it. As a Slytherin, she had a better chance of converting many of them, whether they were currently in school or not.

She dared not list the Horcruxes and their locations. Besides, she'd gone over them so many times they were permanently etched in her mind.

The time-traveler felt much better now that she knew what she was working toward.


	2. Chapter II

**Guys, I am thrilled. Only a few short hours after I published the first chapter of this story, I already have 4 followers! Thank you guys, so, so much. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask. **

**_II _**

The thing about being a Slytherin, besides being shunned by most of the school, was that you tended to get pretty lonely. Luna felt right at home in this time; it varied very little from her first few years in the '90's. She didn't even have to be strange this time around to get the same results.

She went to her classes as normal, excelling in all of them. In Luna's second week, she was invited to join the Slug Club. It didn't particularly appeal to her, but she felt that the influence might come in handy.

Minerva continued to give Luna odd looks. There was a piece of the puzzle that she was missing, and she didn't like it at all.

Luna's first mission was to befriend her former Potions Master. Severus Snape was as distrustful as Luna remembered, and she couldn't blame him for it.

She approached him outside, by a tree far away from the four Gryffindor menaces.

"Hello," she said quietly.

Severus said nothing.

Luna sat next to him and said nothing more, just kept him company through the afternoon.

This continued for a while, until Severus finally started talking back.

"Hello, Severus."

"Hello, Luna."

Before long, they were having short conversations about anything but each other. Neither one tried prying into the other's past, Luna because she already knew much of it, and Severus because he didn't want to scare her off.

***~xXx~***

Luna's second mission was to befriend, not the Death Eaters themselves, but their siblings. Carolyn Dolohov was possibly dead in her own time, as she'd never heard of the Death Eater's sister.

Carolyn was sweet, as Slytherins went. Luna would seek her out and do her best to get closer to her. When Luna tried, there was nothing she couldn't do. Soon they were close enough that Luna was Carolyn's confidante. Luna took this role very seriously, and she never revealed any of it to anyone.

Narcissa Black was in her seventh year, and Luna clearly remembered that she wasn't very invested in Voldemort's cause towards the end of the war. Luna took that to mean that she could change her loyalties early.

"Um... excuse me?" was the first thing Luna said. She was taking a different approach for Narcissa than for Severus. Luna was a year younger than Narcissa, which meant that Narcissa looked down on her. So why not encourage that?

Narcissa looked up from her text. "Yes?" she said.

Luna held her hands in plain sight, so Narcissa could see she wasn't holding her wand. You could never be too careful. "I need help with Charms," she lied, "and I heard you were the one to ask. Would you mind...?"

Narcissa's eyes lit up at the mention of Charms. "Of course I'll help you," she replied, her tone sweet. Perhaps a little _too_ sweet.

And so it began. Luna was planting her tendrils of influence all over Slytherin.

***~xXx~***

_Hermione grabbed her hand. "I need to go with Harry and Ron," she said quickly. _

_"I know," Luna replied._

_They hugged, and Hermione ran to catch up. Luna's good-byes had all been said, but instead of making her happy, they were like a gigantic weight in her stomach. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd never see them again._

***~xXx~***

It was a chilly December afternoon. Luna went outside as usual, prepared to engage in meaningless conversation with Severus. As soon as she saw him, though, she could tell that today was different.

"Tell me," Luna demanded. Severus looked up at the pale girl, then back at the group across the courtyard.

_Oh._

Severus discovered that Remus Lupin was a werewolf that year.

Luna joined the boy on the grass, bumped his shoulder with hers. "Don't worry about it. I know you want to, but you will regret this."

Severus finally directed his full attention on the girl at his side. "They've been disappearing every month on the full moon. Lupin says that his mother is sick, but when he comes back, he looks like _he's _the sick one. That spells something to me."

"I know." Luna stretched out her legs. "Just, please don't act like an idiot about this."

"You don't sound surprised."

"Do I ever?"

"Touche."

***~xXx~***

Luna kept mostly to herself that Christmas. She bought Carolyn, Narcissa, and Severus presents, and got gifts back from all of them. Carolyn's and Narcissa's lacked imagination, a box of candy and spell-books, but Severus seemed to have actually put some thought into his.

She unwrapped the small box, opened it, and found a rather large flask filled with an amethyst potion. The label on it read 'Aspectus Mutatio', which Luna recognized as Latin. In the box was a scroll in Severus's own writing, explaining exactly what this potion could be used for.

_'Aspectus Mutatio is a very complex potion to brew. It takes at least two moon cycles before it is ready to use. If used before these cycles are up, it is a deadly toxin.'_

Well, that's useful.

_'...Anima Mutatio, or 'soul change', is meant to show what a person's appearance is in relation to their true soul. It has been known to change some into animals. The potion has a long-term effect that varies depending on the user. The mean time is four years and seven months. The longest time recorded is eleven years and ten months. Once the potion wears off, the user goes back to the body's original state, appearing not to have aged a single day.'_

At the end of the scroll was a signature.

_Merry Christmas!_

_ Severus S._


	3. Chapter III

**For a while I lost inspiration for this story. I know, pretty early. But then Severus's Christmas present gave me an idea that would allow me to take this in a different direction than most other time travel fics. As always, I appreciate your follows and favorites, and I'd like to give shout-outs to the three reviewers on the last chapter: Dead 2 Da Unknown, Margaret Black, and Guest. Thank you guys so much! Like I said before, I desperately need help from you guys in developing this.**

**Enjoy!**

**_III_**

Peter Pettigrew was an odd case. He wasn't nearly as ugly or ratty-looking in his teens as he was in his late-thirties. He was very pudgy, had a soft face, and was actually kind of sweet.

Not that Luna really cared. Loony had a mission.

At first she found it difficult to get him away from the others, but then she discovered that he often went to have a midnight snack.

Luna made sure to always be in the kitchen at night. She made good friends with the house elves, which would probably come in handy in the future.

Peter was skittish around the blonde Slytherin at first, but he slowly began to open up like a slow-blooming flower. When Peter was troubled, he went to the kitchen late at night, and not just for the food.

Meanwhile, Luna was carefully pulling Peter into herself like she'd done with her other missions. Soon enough they were truly friends.

"Luna?" he asked one night. It was two-oh-fourteen, and he was stuffing himself with pasta.

The girl looked up from the grainy wooden table.

"Why don't my friends like me?" Peter sounded upset, but at the same time resigned.

Luna touched his arm comfortingly. "Because they still see the boy you were when they met you, and they ignore the man you are growing up to be." Her voice was so sincere that Peter had no problem at all believing that she was right. After all, she usually was.

"Then how do I make them sit up and notice?"

She blew a bit of her hair out of her face, thinking for a minute. "Try pulling back. Do things on your own, find your own people. Make them realize that you aren't dependent on them."

Peter sighed. "Aren't I?"

Luna's eyes flashed a bit. "_No. _Do they do your homework?"

"Well, sort of. I mean, I copy off of them someti-"

"Do they provide a home for you? Money for you? Food for you?"

"No, but-"

"_No._ That's the last thing: learn to _say no._ If they want to do something that you don't want to, you go along with it anyway. They expect you to be a little boy that tags around them forever. They are _wrong_."

Peter couldn't help but smile at his Slytherin friend. He couldn't remember anyone ever standing up for him like that. It felt good, like he wasn't as worthless as his long-time companions made him feel.

He could live with her plan. Maybe he didn't want to do it so that the Marauders would finally respect him; maybe he wanted to do it for _him._

And, as Luna would say, admitting that was the first step.

***~xXx~***

Narcissa stopped her as Luna was about to leave the library. "I need your help," she said.

Luna nodded, waiting for the girl to continue.

Instead of saying anything more, Narcissa grabbed the younger girl's wrist and dragged her down the hallway, and into a storage closet. "Lumos," she said, and then took off the glamour.

Luna saw dozens of dark splotches on her face and arms, the only skin she could see. She'd seen it before. Merlin, she'd seen so much worse. "How bad?"

"He stabbed me last time. I heard you were the person to go to for healing spells, so, please..." Narcissa was pleading, something Luna had never seen before.

She took out her own wand and muttered spell after spell inaudibly, and soon all that was left behind was smooth porcelain skin. "Fix this," Luna said gently, clasping the other girl's hand. "You are strong, fix this. Think of your- children."

Narcissa's mouth was set, but her lower lip still trembled. "I'll try. For Draco."

Luna was surprised for a minute, wondering whether she was already pregnant, but dismissed that idea. Draco Malfoy wouldn't be conceived for a few years yet.

"Fathers are supposed to protect you," Narcissa whispered.

***~xXx~***

Peter was due to sit with the Marauders at lunch, so why wasn't he there? Remus volunteered to look for him. He wandered the corridors, searching for his chubby friend.

***~xXx~***

Luna and he were actually eating in the kitchen. Well, Peter was eating, Luna had her nose tucked in a book. Peter couldn't see the cover.

"What's that?" he asked, taking another bite of chicken.

Luna glanced up at him. "Research," she said. "A project I'm working on."

***~xXx~***

Remus gave up his search, assuming that Peter must have gone outside or something. He reasoned that there was no way he would get to the Great Hall in time to eat, and the kitchens were right there, so why not eat there?

The werewolf tickled the pear and stepped into the room, only to find the object of his search and a pretty Slytherin girl, chatting.


	4. Chapter IV

**Hola lovelies! I would like to thank collegegirl and dude, both of which are guests. In response to collegegirl's questions- I'm leaning towards 'yes' on everything. We'll see how it goes.**

**Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed. I was sort of shocked when I saw them piling up- there are almost twice as many as there are on my long-time story.**

**_IV_**

Narcissa fingered the smooth skin on her abdomen where the stab wound used to be. She felt better than she had in years.

Cygnus Black did this to her. Tomorrow he would no longer be her father.

_Thank you, Luna. _

***~xXx~***

Severus looked around. Luna was coming up over the hill, hands in plain side. She was very, very careful around everyone that she didn't seem like a threat. Severus knew for a fact that there were many that _were_ intimidated by her. Everyone was convinced that there was something about her that no one knew.

Behind her was the fourth Marauder, Peter Pettigrew. Luna led him right to the tree with Severus. Pettigrew seemed nervous around Severus, but he still followed Luna.

"Sev, this is Peter. I'm sure you're already well familiar with each other. Be nice," she added with a hint of menace. She addressed this to both boys.

Pettigrew nodded immediately, and Luna turned to glare at Severus. He finally agreed with a sigh.

They all noticed the moment the other three Marauders came out of the castle. The boys tensed up, hoping they wouldn't be noticed.

Lupin pointed directly at them.

The boys swore, then looked guiltily at Luna. She didn't seem to care. Severus noticed that she shifted so she could get to her wand easily.

The Marauders walked towards the trio. Potter and Black looked angry.

Pettigrew looked terrified.

Luna gave a warm smile. "Hello," she said.

The three Gryffindors stopped a few feet away. "What are you doing with Slytherins, Wormtail?" Potter sneered. His wand was in his hand.

The only girl attempted to smooth over the situation that was bound to get rough in a minute. "W-"

Black whirled to face her. "Did he ask you?"

Luna didn't back down. "Did we invite you, Black?"

"Come on, Wormtail."

Peter spoke up. "No."

The other three Marauders looked shocked. "What?"

"No. You guys treat me like shit, so I'm not going to turn away from the people that don't." Peter's face was red.

Luna beamed at him.

The Marauders looked guilty, but Severus could tell they weren't going to let this go without a fight.

"What did you do to him?" Black shouted, aiming his wand not at Severus, but at Luna. Potter's wand was trained on Severus.

Luna was standing before Severus could even blink. "I suggest you quit threatening us before we have a problem." She looked truly terrifying.

***~xXx~***

Luna had her wand out, but no one could see it. She took a step forward, silently daring them to mess with her or Severus.

"Petrificus Tot-"

Potter's wand was in Luna's hand. So was Black's. She tossed them back to their owners.

They were idiotic enough to try again.

Luna flicked her wand without a word, and Potter was up in the air. Another flick and Black was on the ground fifty feet away.

"I gave them a chance," she said coldly. "They were stupid enough to ignore me."

***~xXx~***

After Potter and Black's semi-public humiliation, the Slytherins looked at her in a different light. Well, just looked at her. In Potions, where they were to sit with someone in a different House, the Gryffindor boy that was her partner, Alessander Bell, could barely speak to her.

Luna felt more lonely than ever. She hadn't hurt them, hadn't meant to, but the from the way girls coming up to her in the hallways and yelling at her about using magic on Potter or Black, one would thing she'd broken their necks or something.

Lupin apologized to them on his friends' behalf. "They're pretty embarrassed that they were bested so easily by a girl," he said with a grin.

The former Ravenclaw felt a surge of pride, but it was only a very small one. It was because of the war that she was so good at magic.

Peter, at Luna's urging, made more friends in the other Houses. She felt the fourth Marauder had quite a ways to go, but that he was on the right track.

Severus, Peter, and Luna sat at the tree in the courtyard nearly every day. Severus and Peter got close enough that they could actually joke with each other. Luna would look on and smile, knowing that every change made a ripple that changed the outcome. Peter and Severus getting closer was good. Especially in a way that excluded Luna.

Loneliness, have you met Loony? You two will be such good friends.

Narcissa wasn't at Hogwarts for a few days. Luna noticed, and was increasingly worried every day she didn't see her. Narcissa came back with a glow and a smile, and was greeted by an armful of Luna. They shared a laugh.

The routine wore on Luna. No one noticed a difference.

She decided to tip herself out of the rut she'd gotten into by walking right up to the Ravenclaw table and talking to several fourth years. They were apprehensive of the older Slytherin, especially as she was rumored to be highly proficient in magic. It didn't take long, however, for them to open up to Luna. Luna was just kind enough that they felt comfortable, but not so kind that they felt it was false.

***~xXx~***

"Luna! Luna, you need to see this!" Peter said, grabbing her arm and dragging her down the hallway.

Luna let him until they reached the Gryffindor common room. Then she stopped suddenly. "Hold on, Pete- I'm a Slytherin, I'm not allowed in there!"

Peter shook off her protests and opened the portrait door. Luna's eyes found Lily Evans and James Potter. Evans was sending hex after hex after hex, and Potter didn't block all of them. The results left Luna curled up on the ground, gasping for air.

"What kind of creature is that, anyway?" she asked once she got her breath back.

He shrugged. "Beats me. It does sort of serve him right, though."

They both nodded, and Luna left before anyone looked over and saw her.

Well, not anyone. Remus Lupin saw, but no one else had to know that.


End file.
